From the Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (D.J.M.); and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ( J.R.B.).

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THE American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) has introduced a number of changes in the certification process both for physicians who are qualifying for the first time and for those with time-limited board certification. In this issue of Anesthesiology, Zhou et al.1 provide data from the ABA that indicate that one of these changes, the division of the final knowledge examination into a Basic and an Advanced Examination, positively impacts resident knowledge as measured by improvements in in-training examination scores. The methods and findings presented in this manuscript are of immediate interest to residency programs and educators. In the longer term, if these examination changes result in board-certified diplomates with greater knowledge and skill, then certification standards will increase and this improvement will translate into a higher quality of care that will benefit all patients.